document_title: The Temptations (miniseries)

question_text: who played otis in the movie the temptations

text: The Temptations (miniseries)

text: Overview[edit]

text: The miniseries was based upon Otis Williams' book; as such, it came from his perspective: the focus of the story tended to be on Williams and Melvin Franklin, with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks seen as antagonists for much of the second half (although Kendricks was still given a more sympathetic portrayal than Ruffin). Dennis Edwards was not heavily focused upon, nor was much said of the problems he later had with Otis Williams. Nevertheless, the miniseries gave a general overview of both the history of the group and that of Motown, and, thanks to de Passe's connection, the film was able to use authentic props and locations.

text: A number of liberties were taken with factual events for dramatization purposes:

text:
In the miniseries, during a 1964 New Year's Motown party, Al Bryant is reluctant to perform another encore, and is fired from the group following a backstage altercation with Bryant throwing a beer bottle at Paul Williams. In reality, the incident happened in October 1963, but it was Williams who was reluctant to do another encore. Bryant would be fired two months later for being uncooperative following an annual Christmas party.[1]
In the miniseries, Edwards is visibly angered when Ruffin steals his microphone during a concert performance. In actuality, Edwards claims he gave the microphone and was appreciative for Ruffin's presence. The Temptations' backstage confrontation with Ruffin in which he is escorted by security never happened.[2]
While the miniseries dramatically and somewhat accurately portrays Paul Williams's death by suicide, in real life he was found dead in an alley in a car,[3] and not in a parking lot as portrayed.
Another inaccuracy is the depiction of Ruffin, Kendricks, and Edwards performing together before the 1982 reunion tour; in reality, Ruffin and Kendricks did not start performing together until 1985, with Edwards joining them in 1989 after the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[4]
David Ruffin was not found dead (after being unceremoniously dumped out of a car) near a hospital, and then taken to a morgue where he would not be properly identified for a week. In reality, he had suffered a drug overdose, and was taken to the hospital by his chauffeur who notified attending staff of Ruffin's identity. Because no one claimed his body immediately after his death, his corpse was lain in the morgue for two days; once Ruffin's family was informed of his death, they claimed his body the next day.[5]
The miniseries shows David Ruffin developing ego problems in early 1966, but in reality, it never happened until late 1967.
The group's trademark four-headed microphone doesn't debut until Edwards joins the group, but in reality, it debuted in 1966 and in fact, Ruffin was responsible for creating it.
In the miniseries, Melvin Franklin apparently dies outside of the kitchen in his mother's house. In reality, he died from heart failure at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after being admitted following a series of seizures.[6] As Franklin's death was still fresh in the minds of the miniseries' creators (he died in 1995), it was decided that the miniseries would not present Franklin's death as it actually occurred.

text: As a result, Otis Williams and the producers would be sued by several people portrayed in the film and their families, notably Melvin Franklin's mother and the children and estate of David Ruffin.

text: Although the movie is set mostly in Detroit and Los Angeles, the producers chose to shoot the film in Pittsburgh, presumably to take advantage of the many different architectural and geographical looks that Pittsburgh offers. de Passe Entertainment had, some six years earlier, shot The Jacksons: An American Dream in Pittsburgh as well.

text: Plot[edit]

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text: Part one (November 1, 1998)[edit]

text: The story begins in 1958 when Otis Williams, at the time a teenager, is running to meet his friend Elbridge "Al" Bryant at a musical performance by The Cadillacs, where Otis and the singer lock eyes, which he credits as the moment he devoted his life to music. After the concert, Otis and Al go to a barber where they both get the Tony Curtis-style hairdo. Later, Otis arrives home for dinner, where his father is angered by his hairstyle and pressures him to go to work at the assembly line instead of going into music, which Otis heatedly rejects. Six months later, Otis, Al and two new band members, are singing on a street corner when they see another group of singers across the street, and are impressed by one singer's bass voice type. The next day after school, Otis spots the singer leaving to walk home, and decides to follow him. The singer sees Otis and begins to run away, thinking him to be a gang member. Otis eventually catches him and introduces himself, finding out that the singer's name is Melvin Franklin, and invites him to join his group, Otis Williams & the Siberians. Melvin agrees, on the condition that his mother approves. After talking her, Otis convinces Melvin's mother to let him join.

text: The group, now with five members, are practicing their singing after school one day when they notice a group of girls watching them sing. Upon seeing this, the group follows them while singing Earth Angel. The girls go their separate ways until one girl, Josephine, remains, and Otis asks her out on a date. The next Saturday, the group are making out with the girls in a milk truck when they hear for their group to come the radio station, and hastily drive to the station, which turns out to be a run-down apartment. Johnnie May Matthews, the owner of the pirate radio studio in the basement, declares herself their new manager and producer, and also changes their name to Otis Williams and the Distants. In April 1960, the group are waiting to perform at a party where they meet Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, singers for The Primes, Diana Ross, lead singer for the Primettes, Smokey Robinson, lead singer of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, and Berry Gordy, founder and owner of Motown Records. Al arrives late at the party and shows hostility towards Eddie and Paul, while hitting on Diana. The Primes and Primettes perform and the Distants are impressed by their sound. After performing themselves, Otis and Melvin see Berry Gordy entering the bathroom and follow him. After some talking, Berry gives them a business card to contact him later on. Once the party's ends, Johnnie shows up in a new car, bought with the money earned from their record, while also showing off rolls of money. Awestruck, they ask about when they get paid, which angers Johnnie and she immediately fires them, kicks them out of the car and drives away. Al and two other members promptly quit the group, leaving Otis and Melvin as the only two remaining members.

text: Shortly after, Melvin approaches Otis and tells him that Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams recently left their own group and are interested in joining them. Otis is reluctant to let them join, as he finds them arrogant and cocky, but ultimately accepts when Al rejoins the group. With this new line-up, the group renames themselves the Elgins. Eddie and Paul prove to be valuable members; Paul teaches them how to dance and becomes their unofficial choreographer, while Eddie becomes their falsetto singer. In March 1961, Otis enters Motown Studios, the headquarters of Motown Records, and meets up with Berry Gordy. After the meeting, Otis finds the others waiting outside for an answer. He informs them that Berry will sign them if they can come up with a better group name. After sitting outside the studio for hours waiting to be called in and thinking up a new name, a secretary named Martha Reeves finds them outside and calls them in to meet Berry. When they get to Berry, he asks them for their name, to which Otis replies "the Temptations".

text: Berry likes the name and agrees to hear them sing. After hearing them perform Oh Mother of Mine (which would become their debut single for Motown) Berry enthusiastically signs them under the Motown label. The group are now in high spirits and make a pact to never leave the group. Otis arrives home to find out that Josephine is pregnant, and although he is shocked, he promises to take responsibility for the baby. In a voiceover, Otis explains that he and Josephine were married shortly after and later gave birth to their son, Lamont. While making moderately successful records written largely by Berry, such as Paradise (Temptations song) and I Want a Love I Can See, and getting real choreography from Chollie Atkins, the group start to become known as "The Hitless Temptations" as they can't seem to make a real hit in the first three years under the Motown label. The group start to doubt themselves as talented singers and Al starts to lose his passion for singing and becomes more and more negative and volatile. This comes to a head after performing at a New Year's Eve party, Al smashes Paul in the side of the head with a beer bottle when asked to do an encore on stage. He is kicked out the group immediately. The remaining four go back on stage anyway and perform the classic party song Shout (The Isley Brothers song). While singing, Jimmy Ruffin and his younger brother David Ruffin jump on stage and sing as well. The group are impressed the duos' singing, especially David's. After the party, the four, along with David, go to Melvin's mother's house to eat. While they eat and talk, the four invite David to join the group, which he readily accepts. With five members once again, they make a toast to the future success of the Temptations.

text: In January 1964, the group head to Hitsville to record a song written for them by Smokey Robinson. The song, called The Way You Do the Things You Do becomes an instant hit and puts the Temptations on the map. Shortly after the song hits the charts, the group go on a tour with various other Motown artists, such as the Vandellas, the Miracles, and Marvin Gaye. One afternoon, while changing a tire on the tour bus, a pair of racist Southerners drive by shooting at them with a shotgun, and David and Eddie try in vain to chase them down, but quickly give up. The tour eventually ends and they all arrive back in Detroit. While Josephine is waiting for Otis in front of Hitsville, she sees him with another woman, and assumes that they are having an affair, and storms off. Soon after, the Temptations go on tour again. In November that year, Smokey writes them another song called My Girl. The song debuts early next year and becomes a massive success, reaching number one on the charts that years. The group enjoys their newfound success and wealth, spending money on themselves and their loved ones.

text: With this success, however, soon comes trouble. By early 1966, David starts to develop an ego, thinking himself to be solely responsible for the Temptations' success. He also begins using drugs and starts showing up late for rehearsals and meetings, if he shows up at all. This behavior starts to take a toll on the group, and soon after recording Ain't Too Proud to Beg, Otis and Melvin pay David a visit, warning him to clean up his act or else be fired. Later, Berry introduces the group to their new manager, Shelly Berger. Shelly plans to expand the Temptations' fanbase to the mainstream white audience, which they are somewhat reluctant about, as they think their original fans will see them as sell-outs. After some consideration, the Temptations agree and are put on a month-long tour with the Supremes. The tour turns out to be a success and gets them to the Copacabana, although David's destructive behavior continues, and he declares his shady friend, Flynn, his new manager instead of Shelly. Flynn informs the group that David wants to change the group name to "David Ruffin & The Temptations" or else he will not perform, which they reject. David shows up anyway, albeit late, and performs "I'm Losing You" at the Copa, and leaves in a separate limo. After the show, the others take a vote on whether or not they should keep David in the group, and all but Eddie vote to kick him out. Shortly after, David shows up at Hitsville in his limo. While the four watch from a window, Shelly meets David outside and hands him a note informing him of their decision. Upon reading this, David flies into a rage, yelling at them through the window. He then gets into his limo and drives off. Melvin rhetorically asks "So now what"?

text: Part two (November 2, 1998)[edit]

text: Later in 1968, the Temptations hire Dennis Edwards, an old friend, as a replacement for David. It is around this time that the group enters their psychedelic soul era, started with their 1968 single Cloud Nine. During a concert performance, the group is about to sing Ain't Too Proud to Beg when David jumps on stage and steals the microphone from Dennis and sings himself. The others go along with this to save face, but then chase him backstage and get into a brief argument before getting security guards to escort him out. By 1969, Paul's drinking becomes debilitating and Melvin develops rheumatoid arthritis in the legs and starts taking cortisone shots to ease the symptoms despite his doctor's advice, yet both continue performing anyway. Around this time Otis and Josephine also get a divorce. As Paul's condition gets progressively worse, the others begin to consider whether Paul should retire, at least for the time being. Eddie is against this, as he thinks that they should stick by Paul and be with him at all times, making sure he doesn't drink. In November 1970, Eddie visits David, who begins to turn him against Otis and Melvin while giving him his first shot of cocaine. Shortly after, Paul becomes well enough to sing again, and the Temptations record a new song written by their producer Norman Whitfield called Just My Imagination. Eddie quits the group after recording the song. Later, Otis and his son Lamont visit Paul at his house. Paul asks to be back in the Temptations, while demonstrating his dancing, almost falling over. Otis tell him that he will be back when he gets better. In June 1972, Norman writes another song called Papa Was a Rolling Stone, which the group are initially against recording, but eventually go along with it. In a montage set to the song, Paul is seen struggling with his addiction, while fighting with his wife, and later driving around town, ending with Paul committing suicide in a parking lot. Eddie reunites with the others at the funeral, with Melvin telling him that while he's out of the group, they will always be family.

text: By 1977, the Temptations have moved from Detroit to Los Angeles and have been hit with a dry spell in their career. The group, now with Otis and Melvin as the only remaining original members, fire Shelly as their manager, leave the Motown label and start recording under the Atlantic Records label. Eddie is still under the Motown label and has made two major hits, while David, who has had some hits after the Temptations, is also under a dry spell. One day, while Melvin is helping a woman with her grocery bags, a thief gets in his car and tries to start it. When Melvin tries to stop him, the thief shoots him in both of his legs, kicks him out, and drives off in his car. Melvin tells Otis to go on tour without him, as they need the money. After the tour, Otis goes back to Detroit with Lamont to visit his mother, who tells him that she has cancer. They then have a heart-to-heart on the porch.

text: In 1980, Melvin's legs are still recovering and the Temptations leave Atlantic Records. Eddie's success is starting to fade and he is reduced to playing in small nightclubs. While performing one night, Eddie spots David in the audience and once he finishes the song, brings David on stage and they sing together. After everyone leaves the club, Eddie and David have a drink at the bar and agree to start their own faction of the Temptations, along with Dennis Edwards, who was fired from the Temptations in 1978. Otis and Melvin move back to Detroit and go back under the Motown label and Shelly becomes their manager again. Not long after, Motown becomes interested in setting up a reunion tour between both sets of the Temptations.

text: By 1982, the tour is officially underway and both sets of Temptations come together to rehearse and become reacquainted. While on tour, Josephine calls and informs Otis that Lamont died in a construction accident. After Otis gets back from the funeral, the tour starts to fall apart, as David's drug addiction starts to trigger his destructive nature.

text: In 1989, the Temptations are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the ceremony, Otis and Melvin are reunited with David, Eddie, and Dennis. And despite their past squabbles and rivalries, for one moment, they are friends again.

text: In June 1991, a dead body is found in front of a hospital. After a week in the morgue, the body is finally identified as that of David Ruffin, dead of an apparent drug overdose. Eddie passed away soon after of lung cancer in October 1992.

text: In February 1995, Otis and Melvin, now reduced to a wheelchair, visit Melvin's mother. While preparing to eat dinner, Melvin, despite being in a wheelchair, volunteers to get short ribs from the kitchen. While he's gone, Melvin's mother thanks Otis for taking care of Melvin and keeping the Temptations together through all the good and bad times. The two then call for Melvin, but he doesn't respond. They go into the kitchen and find him unresponsive. Many people show up at the funeral, including Smokey Robinson, who sings his song "Really Gonna Miss You".

text: The film ends with the "classic five" Temptations (Otis, Melvin, Eddie, Paul, and David) in their youth, singing "My Girl" on a stage. At the end of the song, they take a bow, with Otis saying in a voice-over "Temptations, forever."

text: Afterwards[edit]

text: The miniseries was a ratings success with 45 million viewers in total watching the two-part series;[7] the first half alone averaged a 15 rating/23 share in Nielsen ratings.[8] Arkush won a 1999 Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Movie. The miniseries has been subsequently rerun on the VH-1 cable television network and released to VHS and DVD. The VHS release notably omitted a few scenes which had previously aired on the television premiere. One such scene includes David Ruffin, clearly under the influence of drugs and his ego, becoming belligerent during a picnic celebration with the other members of the group. The removal of this scene is possibly due to the ensuing suit.

text: Otis Williams' ex-wife Josephine Miles, Melvin Franklin's mother Rose Franklin, Johnnie Mae Matthews, and on David Ruffin's behalf, the Ruffin family, filed suit against Williams, Shelly Berger, David V. Picker, Motown, De Passe Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment, and NBC for use of their likenesses in the film, defamation of character, and emotional distress because of the inaccurate depictions of events.[9] They also alleged that the miniseries misportrayed them and/or their relatives and twisted facts. The judges ruled in favor of the defendants, and the ruling was upheld when the plaintiffs appealed in 2001.[10] Otis Williams later claimed that while his book was the source material for the film, he did not have a great deal of control over how the material was presented.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Classic Five Members and relatives[edit]

text:
Charles Malik Whitfield as Otis Williams, founder and leader of Otis Williams & the Distants and later The Temptations. He conflicts with some of his group mates, particularly David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks, over group leadership. Otis Williams is the only original member of The Temptations who is still living, and still performs with the group.

Tina Lifford as Hazel, Otis' mother.
Harold Surratt as Edgar, Otis' stepfather.
Gina Ravera as Josephine (née Rogers), Otis' wife during the 1960s and the mother of their son Lamont.
Stevland Parks as Lamont, Otis and Josephine's son (portrayed at age 12)
Chrystal Bates as Mrs. Rogers, Josephine's mother.

D. B. Woodside as Melvin "Blue" Franklin, Otis' best friend, and a member of both Otis Williams & the Distants and The Temptations for over four decades. Shy and soft-spoken, he secretly struggles with arthritis over the years. Outside of founding member Otis Williams, Franklin was the only member of the Temptations who did not quit the group or be fired during his tenure; Franklin died in 1995.

Jenifer Lewis as "Mama Rose," Melvin's mother.

Terron Brooks as Eddie "Cornbread" Kendricks, a member of The Primes and The Temptations' original first tenor/falsetto and co-lead singer. After quitting the group in 1971, Eddie becomes a solo singer and later joins forces with fellow ex-Temptation David Ruffin. Kendricks died of lung cancer in 1992 (this event is not portrayed in the miniseries, but is referenced near the end of Part Two).
Christian Payton as Paul Williams, a member of The Primes and the Temptations' original lead singer, who succumbs to alcoholism and poor health, forcing his retirement from the act in 1971.

Rhonda Ross Kendrick as Maxine, Paul's wife

Leon as David Ruffin, The Temptations' lead singer from 1964 to 1968, whose ego leads the others to force him out of the group. Ruffin died of a drug overdose in 1991.

Lamman Rucker as Jimmy Ruffin, David's older brother and a Motown performer.
Nyjah Moore as Tammi Terrell, David's girlfriend and a Motown performer.

text: Other Temptations Members[edit]

text:
J. August Richards as Richard Street, a member of Otis Williams & the Distants, who later replaces Paul Williams in The Temptations
Charles Ley as Dennis Edwards, The Temptations' lead singer in the late 1960s and 1970s. He later joins forces with David and Eddie when they form a Temptations splinter group in the 1980s.
Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Elbridge "Al"/"Bones" Bryant, Otis' high school friend and a member of both Otis Williams & the Distants and The Temptations. Having a day job as a milk man, Al becomes restless and moody as the Temptations struggle to find their big break, and is fired in December 1963.
Benjamin J. Cain Jr. as Glenn Leonard, the Temptations' first tenor in the 1980s.
Jonnie Brown as Damon Harris, the Temptations' first tenor in the 1970s after Eddie quits the act.

text: Others[edit]

text:
Alan Rosenberg as Shelly Berger, the Temptations' manager.
Obba Babatundé as Berry Gordy, Jr, founder of Motown Records.
Erik Michael Tristan as a young Smokey Robinson, the lead singer of The Miracles and The Temptations' primary songwriter and producer during the early 1960s.

The real-life Smokey Robinson appears as himself in a cameo at the end of Part Two, where he sings at Melvin's funeral.

Vanessa Bell Calloway as Johnnie Mae Matthews, producer and manager for Otis Williams & the Distants.
Mel Jackson as Norman Whitfield, The Temptations' primary producer and songwriter during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Adam Lazarre-White as Flynn, David's driver and self-appointed manager.
Christopher Reid as Joltin' Joe, a radio DJ who summons The Distants for Johnnie Mae Matthews
Bianca Lawson as Diana Ross of The Primettes/The Supremes.
Melissa Mercedes Cardello as Florence Ballard of The Primettes/The Supremes. She begins an affair with Otis while on the Motor Town Revue in 1964.
Taifa Harris as Mary Wilson of The Primettes/The Supremes.
N'Tasha A. Pierre as Martha Reeves, a Motown performer and secretary.
Ricky Fanté as Marvin Gaye, a Motown performer.
Russell Clark as Cholly Atkins, Motown's in-house choreographer.
Vincent A. Ponder as James 'Pee-Wee' Crawford, a member of Otis Williams & the Distants.

text: Awards[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Result
Category
Recipient

1999
Motion Picture Sound Editors
Won
Best Sound Editing - Television Mini-Series - Music
Kevin Crehan (music editor) and Tom Villano (music and scoring editor) (For episode "Night One")

Best Sound Editing - Television Mini-Series - Dialogue & ADR
Suzanne Angel, Mark Friedgen, G. Michael Graham, Anton Holden, Kristi Johns, Mark R. La Pointe, Michael Lyle, Scott A. Tinsley, and Tim Terusa (For episode "Night One")

NAACP Image Awards
Outstanding Television Movie or Mini-Series

-

Primetime Emmy Award
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Movie
Allan Arkush

text: Notes[edit]

text: ^ Eddie Kendricks died in October 1992.[11]


document_title: Service-level agreement

question_text: three levels of a multi level service level agreement(sla)

question_tokens: three levels of a multi level service level agreement ( sla )

root

text: Service-level agreement

text: Overview[edit]

text: A service-level agreement is an agreement between two or more parties, where one is the customer and the others are service providers. This can be a legally binding formal or an informal "contract" (for example, internal department relationships). The agreement may involve separate organizations, or different teams within one organization. Contracts between the service provider and other third parties are often (incorrectly) called SLAs – because the level of service has been set by the (principal) customer, there can be no "agreement" between third parties; these agreements are simply "contracts." Operational-level agreements or OLAs, however, may be used by internal groups to support SLAs. If some aspect of a service has not been agreed with the customer, it is not an "SLA".

tag: p

text: SLAs commonly include many components, from a definition of services to the termination of agreement.[2] To ensure that SLAs are consistently met, these agreements are often designed with specific lines of demarcation and the parties involved are required to meet regularly to create an open forum for communication. Rewards and penalties applying to the provider are often specified.  Most SLAs also leave room for periodic (annual) revisitation to make changes.[3]

text: Since late 1980s SLA's have been used by fixed line telecom operators. SLAs are so widely used these days that larger organizations have many different SLAs existing within the company itself. Two different units in an organization script a SLA with one unit being the customer and another being the service provider. This practice helps to maintain the same quality of service amongst different units in the organization and also across multiple locations of the organization. This internal scripting of SLA also helps to compare the quality of service between an in-house department and an external service provider.[4]

text: The output received by the customer as a result of the service provided is the main focus of the service level agreement.

text: Service level agreements are also defined at different levels:

text:
Customer-based SLA: An agreement with an individual customer group, covering all the services they use. For example, an SLA between a supplier (IT service provider) and the finance department of a large organization for the services such as finance system, payroll system, billing system, procurement/purchase system, etc.
Service-based SLA: An agreement for all customers using the services being delivered by the service provider. For example:
A mobile service provider offers a routine service to all the customers and offers certain maintenance as a part of an offer with the universal charging.
An email system for the entire organization. There are chances of difficulties arising in this type of SLA as level of the services being offered may vary for different customers (for example, head office staff may use high-speed LAN connections while local offices may have to use a lower speed leased line).
Multilevel SLA: The SLA is split into the different levels, each addressing different set of customers for the same services, in the same SLA.
Corporate-level SLA: Covering all the generic service level management (often abbreviated as SLM) issues appropriate to every customer throughout the organization. These issues are likely to be less volatile and so updates (SLA reviews) are less frequently required.
Customer-level SLA: covering all SLM issues relevant to the particular customer group, regardless of the services being used.
Service-level SLA: covering all SLM issue relevant to the specific services, in relation to this specific customer group.

tag: ul

text: Components[edit]

text: A well defined and typical SLA will contain the following components:[5]

text:
Type of service to be provided: It specifies the type of service and any additional details of type of service to be provided. In case of an IP network connectivity, type of service will describe functions such as operation and maintenance of networking equipment, connection bandwidth to be provided, etc.
The service's desired performance level, especially its reliability and responsiveness: A reliable service will be the one which suffers minimum disruptions in a specific amount of time and is available at almost all times. A service with good responsiveness will perform the desired action promptly after the customer requests for it.
Monitoring process and service level reporting: This component describes how the performance levels are supervised and monitored. This process involves gathering of different type of statistics, how frequently this statistics will be collected and how this statistics will be accessed by the customers.
The steps for reporting issues with the service: This component will specify the contact details to report the problem to and the order in which details about the issue have to be reported. The contract will also include a time range in which the problem will be looked upon and also till when the issue will be resolved.
Response and issue resolution time-frame: Response time-frame is the time period by which the service provider will start the investigation of the issue. Issue resolution time-frame is the time period by which the current service issue will be resolved and fixed.
Repercussions for service provider not meeting its commitment: If the provider is not able to meet the requirements as stated in SLA then service provider will have to face consequences for the same. These consequences may include customer's right to terminate the contract or ask for a refund for losses incurred by the customer due to failure of service.

text: Common metrics[edit]

text: Service level agreements can contain numerous service performance metrics with corresponding service level objectives. A common case in IT service management is a call center or service desk. Metrics commonly agreed to in these cases include:

text:
Abandonment Rate: Percentage of calls abandoned while waiting to be answered.
ASA (Average Speed to Answer): Average time (usually in seconds) it takes for a call to be answered by the service desk.
TSF (Time Service Factor): Percentage of calls answered within a definite timeframe, e.g., 80% in 20 seconds.
FCR (First-Call Resolution): Percentage of incoming calls that can be resolved without the use of a callback or without having the caller call back the helpdesk to finish resolving the case.[6]
TAT (Turn-Around Time): Time taken to complete a certain task.
MTTR (Mean Time To Recover): Time taken to recover after an outage of service.

text: Uptime is also a common metric, often used for data services such as shared hosting, virtual private servers and dedicated servers. Common agreements include percentage of network uptime, power uptime, number of scheduled maintenance windows, etc.

text: Many SLAs track to the Information Technology Infrastructure Library specifications when applied to IT services.

text: Specific example[edit]

text: Backbone Internet providers[edit]

text: It is not uncommon for an internet backbone service provider (or network service provider) to explicitly state its own SLA on its website.[7][8][9] The U.S. Telecommunications Act of 1996 does not expressly mandate that companies have SLAs, but it does provide a framework for firms to do so in Sections 251 and 252.[10] Section 252(c)(1) for example ("Duty to Negotiate") requires Incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) to negotiate in good faith about matters such as resale and access to rights of way.

text: WSLA[edit]

text: A web service level agreement (WSLA) is a standard for service level agreement compliance monitoring of web services. It allows authors to specify the performance metrics associated with a web service application, desired performance targets, and actions that should be performed when performance is not met.

text: WSLA Language Specification, version 1.0 was published by IBM on January 28, 2001.

text: Cloud computing[edit]

text: The underlying benefit of cloud computing is shared resources, which is supported by the underlying nature of a shared infrastructure environment. Thus, SLAs span across the cloud and are offered by service providers as a service-based agreement rather than a customer-based agreement. Measuring, monitoring and reporting on cloud performance is based on the end UX or their ability to consume resources. The downside of cloud computing relative to SLAs is the difficulty in determining the root cause of service interruptions due to the complex nature of the environment.

text: As applications are moved from dedicated hardware into the cloud, they need to achieve the same or even more demanding levels of service than classical installations. SLAs for cloud services focus on characteristics of the data center and more recently include characteristics of the network (see carrier cloud) to support end-to-end SLAs.[11]

text: Any SLA management strategy considers two well-differentiated phases: negotiating the contract and monitoring its fulfilment in real time. Thus, SLA management encompasses the SLA contract definition: the basic schema with the QoS parameters; SLA negotiation; SLA monitoring; SLA violation detection; and SLA enforcement—according to defined policies.

text: The main point is to build a new layer upon the grid, cloud, or SOA middleware able to create a negotiation mechanism between the providers and consumers of services. An example is the EU–funded Framework 7 research project, SLA@SOI,[12] which is researching aspects of multi-level, multi-provider SLAs within service-oriented infrastructure and cloud computing, while another EU-funded project, VISION Cloud,[13] has provided results with respect to content-oriented SLAs.

text: FP7 IRMOS also investigated aspects of translating application-level SLA terms to resource-based attributes in an effort to bridge the gap between client-side expectations and cloud-provider resource-management mechanisms.[14][15] A summary of the results of various research projects in the area of SLAs (ranging from specifications to monitoring, management and enforcement) has been provided by the European Commission.[16]

text: Outsourcing[edit]

text: Outsourcing involves the transfer of responsibility from an organization to a supplier. This new arrangement is managed through a contract that may include one or more SLAs. The contract may involve financial penalties and the right to terminate if any of the SLAs metrics are consistently missed. Setting, tracking and managing SLAs is an important part of the outsourcing relationship management (ORM) discipline. Specific SLAs are typically negotiated up front as part of the outsourcing contract and used as one of the primary tools of outsourcing governance.

text: In software development, specific SLAs can apply to application outsourcing contracts in line with standards in software quality, as well as recommendations provided by neutral organizations like CISQ, which has published numerous papers on the topic (such as Using Software Measurement in SLAs[17]) that are available to the public.


document_title: Guardians of the Galaxy (film)

question_text: who played the bad guy in guardians of the galaxy

text: Guardians of the Galaxy (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1988, following his mother's death, a young Peter Quill is abducted from Earth by the Ravagers, a group of space pirates led by Yondu Udonta. Twenty-six years later on the planet Morag, Quill steals an orb but is attacked by Korath, a subordinate to the fanatical Kree, Ronan. Although Quill escapes with the orb, Yondu discovers his theft and issues a bounty for his capture, while Ronan sends the assassin Gamora after the orb.

text: When Quill attempts to sell the orb on Xandar, capital of the Nova Empire, Gamora ambushes him and steals it. A fight ensues, drawing in a pair of bounty hunters: the genetically and cybernetically modified raccoon Rocket, and the tree-like humanoid Groot. Nova Corps officers capture the four, detaining them in the Kyln. A powerful inmate there, Drax, attempts to kill Gamora due to her association with Ronan and Thanos, who killed his family. Quill convinces Drax that Gamora can bring Ronan to him, though Gamora reveals that she has betrayed Ronan, unwilling to let him use the orb's power. Learning that Gamora has a buyer for the orb, Quill, Rocket, Groot, and Drax work with her to escape the Kyln in Quill's ship, the Milano.

text: Ronan meets with Gamora's adoptive father, Thanos, to discuss her betrayal. Quill's group flee to Knowhere, a remote criminal outpost in space built in the giant severed head of a Celestial. A drunken Drax summons Ronan while the rest of the group meet Gamora's contact, the collector Taneleer Tivan. Tivan opens the orb, revealing an Infinity Stone, an item of immeasurable power that destroys all but the most powerful beings who wield it. Tivan's tormented assistant Carina grabs the Stone, triggering an explosion that engulfs Tivan's archive.

text: Ronan arrives and easily defeats Drax, while the others flee by ship, pursued by Ronan's followers and Gamora's adoptive sister Nebula. Nebula destroys Gamora's ship, leaving her floating in space, and Ronan's fighters capture the orb. Quill contacts Yondu before following Gamora into space, giving her his helmet to survive; Yondu arrives and retrieves the pair. Rocket, Drax, and Groot threaten to attack Yondu's ship to rescue them, but Quill negotiates a truce, promising the orb to Yondu. Quill's group agrees that facing Ronan means certain death, but that they cannot let him use the Infinity Stone to destroy the galaxy. On Ronan's flagship, the Dark Aster, Ronan embeds the Stone in his warhammer, taking its power for himself. He contacts Thanos, threatening to kill him after first destroying Xandar; hateful of her adoptive father, Nebula allies with Ronan.

text: The Ravagers and Quill's group join with the Nova Corps to confront the Dark Aster at Xandar, with Quill's group breaching the Dark Aster with the Milano. Ronan uses his empowered warhammer to destroy the Nova Corps fleet. Drax and Gamora defeat Korath and Nebula, the latter escaping, but the group find themselves outmatched by Ronan's power until Rocket crashes a Ravager ship through the Dark Aster. The damaged Dark Aster crash-lands on Xandar, with Groot sacrificing himself to shield the group. Ronan emerges from the wreck and prepares to destroy Xandar, but Quill distracts him, allowing Drax and Rocket to destroy Ronan's warhammer. Quill grabs the freed Stone, and with Gamora, Drax, and Rocket sharing its burden, they use it to destroy Ronan.

text: In the aftermath, Quill tricks Yondu into taking a container supposedly containing the Stone, and gives the real Stone to the Nova Corps. As the Ravagers leave Xandar, Yondu remarks that it turned out well that they did not deliver Quill to his father per their contract. Quill's group, now known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, have their criminal records expunged, and Quill learns that he is only half-human, his father being part of an ancient, unknown species. Quill finally opens the last present he received from his mother: a cassette tape filled with her favorite songs. The Guardians leave in the rebuilt Milano along with a sapling cut from Groot.

text: In a post-credits scene, Tivan sits in his destroyed archive with two of his living exhibits: a canine cosmonaut and an anthropomorphic duck.[N 1]

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord: The half-human, half-alien[8] leader of the Guardians who was abducted from Missouri as a child in 1988 and raised by a group of alien thieves and smugglers called the Ravagers.[9][10][11] About the character, Pratt said, "He had a hard time as a kid, and now he goes around space, making out with hot alien girls and just being a rogue and a bit of a jerk, and through teaming up with these guys, finds a higher purpose for himself."[12] He also added that the character is a mix of Han Solo and Marty McFly.[8] Pratt, who was mostly known for playing supporting characters, including Andy Dwyer on the television series Parks and Recreation, initially turned down the role. Pratt had lost weight to portray fit characters in films such as Moneyball and Zero Dark Thirty, and had given up ambitions to play the lead role in action films after humbling auditions for Star Trek and Avatar. Casting director Sarah Finn suggested Pratt to Gunn, who dismissed the idea despite struggling to cast that role. Despite this, Finn arranged for a meeting between the two, at which point Gunn was immediately convinced that Pratt was perfect for the role. Pratt also won over Feige, despite having gained weight again for Delivery Man.[13] Prior to filming, Pratt underwent a strict diet and training regimen to lose 60 pounds (27 kg) in six months.[14] Pratt signed a multi-film contract with Marvel,[15] and was granted a temporary leave from his work on Parks and Recreation in order to accommodate his participation in the film.[16] Wyatt Oleff portrays a young Quill.[17]
Zoe Saldana as Gamora: An orphan from an alien world who seeks redemption for her past crimes. She was trained by Thanos to be his personal assassin.[9][18][19] Saldana said that she became Gamora through make-up rather than computer generated imagery (CGI) or performance capture.[20] On taking the role, Saldana said, "I was just excited to be asked to join by James Gunn and to also play someone green. I've been blue before [in Avatar]."[21] Saldana described Gamora as "…a warrior, she’s an assassin and she’s very lethal but what saves her is the same thing that can doom her. She has a sense of righteousness. She’s a very righteous individual."[8]
Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer: A warrior who seeks to avenge his family's death at the hands of Ronan.[18] On relating to the character, Bautista said, "I can just relate to Drax so much it's not even funny. Just the simple things that we have in common. Simple things like the tattoos, the tragedy—because, you know, I had a bit of tragedy in my life as well. So it's really easy for me to pull from that." Bautista also said that there was "a lot of comic relief to Drax", but the character was not aware of it. Bautista stated that he did not do much preparation for the role, because "Luckily, for me, I'm a lifelong athlete and I adapted real quick."[22] Bautista's makeup took approximately four hours to apply, though it could be removed in just 90 minutes.[23] Drax has various scarring patterns on his body, which replace the simple tattoos from the comics, each having a specific story. Additionally, his skin tone was changed from the bright green in the comics to a muddier grey, to avoid visual similarities to the Hulk.[24]
Vin Diesel as Groot: A tree-like humanoid[25] who is the accomplice of Rocket. Diesel stated that he provided the voice and motion capture for Groot, after originally being in talks to star in a new Phase Three Marvel film.[26][27][28] Diesel also provided Groot's voice for several foreign-language releases of the film.[29] Krystian Godlewski portrayed the character on set, though his acting was not used in the final character CGI.[30][31] On the character, which Gunn based on his dog,[32] Gunn said, "All the Guardians start out the movie as bastards—except Groot. He's an innocent. He's a hundred percent deadly and a hundred percent sweet. He's caught up in Rocket's life, really." Gunn added that the design and movement of Groot took "the better part of a year" to create.[33] Gunn added, "The ways in which Vin Diesel says, 'I am Groot,' I am astounded. All of the 'I am Groots' that were earlier voices didn't sound very good at all … Vin came in and in one day, laid down all these 'I am Groot' tracks, and he's a perfectionist. He made me explain to him with ever  [sic] 'I am Groot,' exactly what he was saying … It was amazing when we first put that voice in there how much the character changed and how much he influenced the character."[34] Regarding the limited words used by Groot, Diesel said in many ways this was, "… the most challenging thing to ask an actor to do."[35] Diesel found an emotional note in his performance, invoking the death of his friend and Fast and Furious co-star Paul Walker, saying, "This was in December [2013], and the first time I came back to dealing with human beings after dealing with death, so playing a character who celebrates life in the way Groot does was very nice."[36] Groot's form and size-changing abilities are seen, with Gunn stating that he has the ability to grow in the film.[37]
Bradley Cooper as Rocket: A genetically engineered raccoon-like bounty hunter and mercenary who is a master of weapons and battle tactics.[9][25][38][39] Gunn worked with live raccoons to get the correct feel for the character, and to make sure it was "not a cartoon character", saying, "It's not Bugs Bunny in the middle of the Avengers, it's a real, little, somewhat mangled beast that's alone. There's no one else in the universe quite like him, he's been created by these guys to be a mean-ass fighting machine."[40] Gunn also based the character on himself.[32] Describing Rocket in relation to the rest of the Guardians, Cooper said, "I think Rocket is dynamic. He's the sort of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas guy."[41] Cooper voiced Rocket, while Sean Gunn (James' younger brother) stood in for the character during filming.[42] James Gunn said that for the role of Rocket, some physical movement from Cooper, including facial expressions and hand movements, was recorded as potential reference for the animators,[43] though much of Sean Gunn's acting is used throughout the film.[30] Before Cooper was cast, James Gunn said that it was a challenge finding a voice for Rocket, that he was looking for someone that could balance "the fast-talking speech patterns that Rocket has, but also can be funny, because he is really funny. But also has the heart that Rocket has. Because there are actually some pretty dramatic scenes with Rocket."[44]
Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser: A Kree radical who agrees to retrieve an artifact for Thanos in exchange for eradicating his mortal enemies, the Xandarians. Ronan and his Sakaaran army[45] hunt down the Guardians when they interfere with his goals.[9][46] Describing Ronan, Gunn said, "He is the primary villain, and he is a really twisted guy, he has a really religious bent in this film. He has a very sick and twisted view of what morality is; strength is virtue and weakness is sin and that is what he lives by, and I think he is very scary because of his beliefs, which are real to him."[47] Pace, who originally auditioned for Peter Quill,[48] described Ronan as a "psycho" and a "monster".[49]
Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta: A blue-skinned bandit who is the leader of the Ravagers and a paternal figure to Quill.[9][50] Yondu helps Quill to steal the orb before Quill betrays him, leaving Yondu and the Ravagers to chase the Guardians. On the character, Rooker said, he has "some interesting issues—not a good guy, not a bad guy. There's hope and there's a heart inside Yondu." Gunn created the film's version of the character specifically with Rooker in mind, while borrowing the character's mohawk and use of a whistle-controlled arrow from the comics. Rooker fully committed to the role once he knew his role on the TV series The Walking Dead would be ending.[51] Rooker's makeup took approximately four hours to apply.[52]
Karen Gillan as Nebula: An adopted daughter of Thanos who was raised with Gamora as siblings and is a loyal lieutenant in the employ of Ronan and Thanos.[9][11] About the character, Gillan said, "She is the female villain of the film … She is very sadistic and evil, but I like to think for a very valid reason."[53] She also added, "I think she's a really interesting character. What I like to play around with is how jealous she is. She's Gamora's sister, and there's a lot of sibling rivalry. That's the most interesting aspect to me, because jealousy can consume you and turn you bitter, and ugly. And she's a total sadist, so that's fun too."[54] Gillan researched the ancient Spartans, shaved off her hair, and trained for two months for the role.[54][55] The character's makeup took approximately four-and-a-half hours to be applied.[54]
Djimon Hounsou as Korath: A Kree[45] ally of Ronan who is a feared intergalactic hunter.[9] As to why he took the role Hounsou said, "I have a four-year old son who loves superheroes from Spider-Man to Iron Man to Batman. He's got all the costumes. One day he looks at me and says 'Dad, I want to be light-skinned so I could be Spider-Man. Spider-Man has light skin.' That was sort of a shock. This is why I am excited to be a part of the Marvel Universe, so I could hopefully provide that diversity in the role of the superhero."[56]
John C. Reilly as Rhomann Dey: A corpsman in the Nova Corps, the Nova Empire's military and police force.[9][57]
Glenn Close as Irani Rael: The leader of the Nova Corps, known as Nova Prime, whose mission is to protect the citizens of the Nova Empire and keep peace.[9][58][59] Close stated that she "had always wanted to be in a movie like [Guardians of the Galaxy], and that it would be "the most fun to play something like the Judi Dench [as M or] Samuel L. Jackson [as Nick Fury] role".[60] She said that she took the role because she "love[s] to do stuff that's different" and wanted to show that she "[has] always been up for anything."[61] She also stated that her contract has "several" films on it, and that she would be open to working on other Marvel Studios films in addition to returning for Guardians sequels.[60]
Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan / The Collector: An obsessive keeper of the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics, and species in the galaxy who operates out of a place in space named Knowhere.[9][58][62] Describing del Toro's performance, Gunn said, "He's like an outer-space Liberace. That's what it says in the script, which he's kind of doing."[43] On bringing the character to life, del Toro said, "What James [Gunn] wanted, that I found out little by little as I was doing it, is that he wanted me to explore and just keep pushing the character and keep creating [him] as I was in front of the camera."[63]

text: Additionally, Josh Brolin appears, uncredited, as Thanos through voice acting and performance capture.[64][65][66] Sean Gunn stood in for Thanos during filming and portrays Kraglin, Yondu's first mate in the Ravagers.[30] Alexis Denisof reprises his role as Thanos's vizier, "The Other", from The Avengers.[67] Ophelia Lovibond plays Carina, the Collector's slave;[68][69] Peter Serafinowicz plays Denarian Garthan Saal, a Nova Corps officer;[70][71] Gregg Henry plays Quill's grandfather;[72] Laura Haddock plays Quill's mother, Meredith;[71][73] Melia Kreiling plays Bereet;[74] Christopher Fairbank plays The Broker;[75] Mikaela Hoover plays Nova Prime's assistant;[76] Marama Corlett plays a pit boss at the bar, The Boot;[77] Emmett J. Scanlan plays a Nova riot guard;[78][79] Alexis Rodney plays Moloka Dar;[80][81] Tom Proctor plays Horuz, a Ravager;[82] and Spencer Wilding plays a prison guard who confiscates Quill's Walkman.[80][83] Canine actor Fred appears as Cosmo.[6] Stephen Blackehart had a supporting role.[84] Naomi Ryan also had a supporting role in the film, though it was cut in the final version.[77] Cameos in the film include: James Gunn as a Sakaaran;[6] Stan Lee as a Xandarian Ladies' Man;[6][85] Lloyd Kaufman as an inmate;[86][87] Nathan Fillion as the voice of an inmate;[6][88] Rob Zombie as the voice of the Ravager Navigator;[6] composer Tyler Bates as a Ravager pilot;[89] and Seth Green as the voice of Howard the Duck.[7]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text:
"I think anybody... who would have said that this would make a great main movie would have been laughed off. It's such an unlikely thing to do. So I think it's lovely to work on something and expose its potential to the point where a company like Marvel will say, 'Yes, this makes sense.'"

—Dan Abnett, co-writer of the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy relaunch, on the project[90]

tag: div

text: Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige first mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy as a potential film at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, stating, "There are some obscure titles, too, like Guardians of the Galaxy. I think they've been revamped recently in a fun way in the [comic] book."[91] Feige reiterated that sentiment in a September 2011 issue of Entertainment Weekly, saying, "There's an opportunity to do a big space epic, which Thor sort of hints at, in the cosmic side" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige added, should the film be made, it would feature an ensemble of characters, similar to X-Men and The Avengers.[92]

text: Feige announced that the film was in active development at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International during the Marvel Studios panel, with an intended release date of August 1, 2014. He stated that the film's titular team would consist of the characters Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon.[93] Two pieces of concept art were also displayed, one of Rocket Raccoon, and one featuring the entire team.[94] In August 2012, James Gunn entered talks to direct the film, beating out other contenders, including Peyton Reed and the duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.[95] The Avengers director Joss Whedon, who signed a deal to creatively consult on all of the films leading up to The Avengers sequel,[96] was enthusiastic about the selection of Gunn to direct, saying "James [Gunn] is what makes me think it will work… He is so off the wall, and so crazy, but so smart, such a craftsman and he builds from his heart. He loves the raccoon. Needs the raccoon… He has a very twisted take on it, but it all comes from a real love for the material. It's going to be hard for [the human characters] to keep up."[97]

text: Writing[edit]

text: Nicole Perlman, who was enrolled in Marvel's screenwriting program in 2009,[98] was offered several of their lesser known properties to base a screenplay on.[99] Out of those, Perlman chose Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's Guardians of the Galaxy, due to her interest in space and science fiction,[99] adding, "I think [Marvel] were a little taken aback when I chose Guardians, because there were ones that would make a lot more sense if you were a romantic-comedy writer or something like that." Perlman spent two years writing a draft, immersing herself in the Guardians universe, and was asked in late 2011 to create another draft, before Gunn was brought in in early 2012 to contribute to the script.[100] Gunn eventually rewrote the script entirely because "it didn’t work" for him; he would use the film The Dirty Dozen as a reference to convey his ideas of the film to Marvel.[101] Gunn later explained that Perlman's draft was very different from the script he used during filming, including a different story, character arcs and no Walkman; he stated, "In Nicole’s script everything is pretty different… it's not about the same stuff. But that's how the WGA works. They like first writers an awful lot."[102] In August 2012, Marvel Studios hired writer Chris McCoy to rewrite Perlman's script,[103] however, it is unclear what contribution he had to the final script, since he did not receive production credit.[58]

text: Gunn revealed that character introductions were the "hardest scenes to crack", with Thanos' introduction being the most difficult. He felt that "having Thanos be in that scene was more helpful to the [MCU] than it was to Guardians of the Galaxy," yet he still wanted Thanos in the film, without "[belittling] the actual antagonist of the film, which is Ronan." To solve his dilemma, Gunn chose to have Ronan kill "The Other", Thanos' vizier, saying, "I thought that was interesting, because we’ve had the Other, who’s obviously very powerful even in comparison to Loki, and then we see Ronan wipe his ass with him. So that I liked, but even that was sort of difficult, because it played as funnier when I first wrote it, and the humor didn’t work so much."[104]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text: In September 2012, Gunn confirmed that he had signed on to direct the film and rewrite the script.[105] By the end of November, Joel Edgerton, Jack Huston, Jim Sturgess, and Eddie Redmayne signed deals to test for the role of Peter Quill, as did Lee Pace,[106] which he confirmed a week later in early December.[48] Other actors who were considered for the role included Thor: The Dark World's Zachary Levi,[107] Joseph Gordon-Levitt,[108] Michael Rosenbaum,[109] and John Gallagher Jr.[110] Chris Pratt was cast in the role in February 2013, as part of a multi-film deal that he signed with Marvel.[15][111]

text: In January 2013, filming was scheduled to take place at Shepperton Studios in London, United Kingdom,[112] and Marvel Studios announced that the film would be released in 3D.[113] Victoria Alonso, an executive producer on the film, said that filming would begin in June. She also said that both Rocket Raccoon and Groot would be created through a combination of CGI and motion capture, going on to say that "You can't do any motion capture with a raccoon—they won't let you put the suit on. But we will do rotomation, probably, for some of the behavior… we definitely will have performers to emulate what James Gunn will lead to be, the behavior and the performance. He's very clear on where he wants to take the characters."[114] In March 2013, Feige discussed Guardians of the Galaxy in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying, "It's much more of a standalone film. It takes place in the same universe. And when we've been on the other side of that universe in other movies, you might see those characteristics in Guardians, but the Avengers are not involved with what's happening out there at this time." Feige also stated that 95% of the film would take place in space.[115] In mid-March, Dave Bautista was signed to play Drax the Destroyer.[116] Other actors who had been considered for the role included Isaiah Mustafa, Brian Patrick Wade, and Jason Momoa.[116] By the following week, sculptor Brian Muir, who sculpted Darth Vader's mask for the Star Wars films, was revealed to be working on the film.[117]

text: In early April 2013, Zoe Saldana entered into negotiations to star as Gamora in the film, and it was confirmed she had been cast later that month.[68][118] Also in April, Michael Rooker joined the film's cast as Yondu,[50] and it was announced that Ophelia Lovibond had been cast in a supporting role.[68] By this point in time, Lee Pace was in final negotiations to play the villain of the film.[119] In May, Marvel offered John C. Reilly the role of Rhomann Dey.[120] At the same time, it was disclosed that filmmakers were looking at actors including Hugh Laurie, Alan Rickman, and Ken Watanabe, for another role, and that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were providing finishing touches to the script.[120] A few days later, Glenn Close was cast as the head of the Nova Corps in the film,[59] followed shortly by the casting of Karen Gillan as the film's lead female villain.[121] By June 2013, Benicio del Toro was cast in the film, as part of a multi-film deal with Marvel Studios.[62] Later in the month, it was confirmed that Reilly had been cast as Rhomann Dey.[57]

text: Special effects makeup designer David White took head and body casts of actors, such as Bautista, to experiment with materials used to create the characters. White said, "James always pushed for practical and makeup effects. He wanted, like me, to see the real deal there on set." White was careful not to use "modern" creature designs to ensure they did not fall short in Gunn's uniquely envisioned world. White and his team created upwards of 1,000 prosthetic makeup applications and 2,000 molds of different-colored aliens.[122] For the specific aesthetic look to the film, Gunn wanted to create "a colorful science-fiction world", and include elements of 1950s and '60s pulp movies, citing the Ravagers' spaceships, which he compared to muscle cars, as an example of the latter.[123] Science fiction artist Chris Foss inspired and helped design the final look of some of the spacecrafts that appear in the film.[124] The Mass Effect video game series, Flash Gordon, Farscape, and Star Wars were primary inspirations for Gunn on the film.[125]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography began around July 6, 2013 in London, United Kingdom,[55] under the working title of Full Tilt.[8] Filming took place at Shepperton Studios and Longcross Studios.[112][126] Later in July, Gunn and the film's cast flew from London to attend San Diego Comic-Con International, where it was revealed that Pace would play Ronan the Accuser, Gillan would be Nebula, del Toro as The Collector, and that Djimon Hounsou had been cast as Korath.[55][58] Close was later revealed to play Nova Prime Irani Rael.[9][58] Also at San Diego Comic-Con, Feige stated that Thanos would be a part of the film as the "mastermind".[127] On August 11, 2013, filming began at London's Millennium Bridge,[128] which was selected as a double for Xandar.[24] In August 2013, Marvel announced that Bradley Cooper would voice Rocket.[38] On September 3, 2013, Gunn said that filming was "a little over half[way]" complete.[129] Also in September, Vin Diesel stated that he was voicing Groot.[28] However, Marvel did not confirm Diesel's involvement in the film at the time.[42][43][130] On October 12, 2013, Gunn announced on social media that filming had completed.[131]

text: Director of photography Ben Davis used Arri Alexa XT cameras for the film, saying, "I’m traditionally a photochemical fan, but going with the digital format was the right way for this movie… the Alexa [provided] the right look for this particular film." During the opening scenes in the 1980s, Davis chose JDC Cooke Xtal (Crystal) Express anamorphic prime lenses because they "had more anamorphic artifacts and aberrations, which [he] felt added something." Davis used spherical Panavision Primos for the rest of the film. Additionally, Davis worked closely with production designer Charles Wood in order to achieve the correct lighting looks for each scene.[126] Dealing with two fully CGI characters forced Davis to shoot scenes multiple times, usually once with the references for the characters and once without them in the shot.[132]

text: Gunn revealed that his brother, Sean Gunn, took on multiple roles during the filming process, such as standing in for Rocket, which he noted was beneficial for the other actors, including Saldana, Pratt, and Bautista, who responded positively to Sean and his on-set performances.[30] Special effects makeup designer David White made two life-size versions of Rocket and a bust of Groot as aids for visual effects, with White saying, "it gives [the filmmakers] a good indication of where visual effects needs to pick up and whether Rocket can actually reach certain things or use certain devices."[31] These busts were also used to see how the on-set lighting would affect the characters, to assist with the visual effects lighting process.[31]

text: In January 2015, Disney revealed that the film came in "slightly over the agreed budget" at $232.3 million, with Disney receiving a rebate of $36.4 million from the British government.[2] It was previously estimated to have had a $170 million budget.[133]

text: Post-production[edit]

text: In November 2013, Gunn stated that he attempted to use as many practical effects as possible while filming to aid the use of CGI and motion capture during post-production, saying, "Our sets are enormous. We have a prison that is 350,000 pounds of steel. Anybody who knows me knows I love the mix of practical and CGI effects… I can't wait for people to see it, because it's astonishingly beautiful."[134] After the release of Thor: The Dark World, Feige stated that the Infinity Stones would be a focus in the film, as well as going forward into the Phase Three slate of films within the MCU.[135] In a separate interview for The Dark World in November, Feige added that a third, unknown Infinity Stone would be seen in the film,[136] referred to as the "Power Stone" by the Collector.[137][138] The mid-credits scene in The Dark World revealed Lovibond's role as the Collector's aide, later named Carina.[69] In December 2013, Marvel confirmed that Diesel would voice Groot.[139]

text: A few weeks of additional filming, involving the film's main cast and crew, occurred in March 2014 at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.[140][141][142] In April 2014, Gunn described Thanos as the "head of the snake" in the film, and confirmed he would appear via performance capture.[11] In May 2014, Gunn stated that the film features an "enormous" amount of smaller and minor characters from the Marvel Universe, adding that he felt the film had the most characters overall of any Marvel Studios film to date.[143] Costume supervisor Dan Grace added to this by saying, "We really, really get the feeling of the scale and scope of the galaxy. We visit five planets, we see a hundred different races." The film introduces the alien race Sakaaran, who act as Ronan's mercenaries, as a replacement to the Badoon, as the Badoon film rights belonged to 20th Century Fox.[45]

text: By the end of May, Josh Brolin was revealed as the voice of Thanos,[64][65] with Feige confirming in July that Brolin also provided the performance capture for the character.[66] Thanos communicates via hologram for much of the film, though he does appear in a scene with Ronan and Nebula.[137] In June 2014, Feige added that Thanos and his followers are "the biggest piece of connective tissue that will eventually lead us back into Avengers films in the future."[144] On casting Brolin, Feige said,

text: We reached out to him and it was one of those things that does not happen all the time but when it does it’s very nice, where he was totally intrigued. He was a fan of what we did, he met with Jeremy Latcham in a hotel in London and learned about the characters a little bit. I spoke to him on the phone a few times. We ran it by James who loved it, ran it by Joss [Whedon] who loved it because Thanos is in this universe because of Avengers. Then we shot him and recorded for it.[66]

text: On July 7, 2014, Gunn announced on social media that he had completed work on the film.[145] In August, regarding the post-credit scene, Gunn revealed that the scene did not involve Howard the Duck when it was originally filmed, rather he was added during post-production,[146] a decision made by "some combination of [Gunn] and the editor Fred Raskin".[147] As the decision to add the character was made late in the post-production process, he had to be designed that day, before being handed off to Sony Pictures Imageworks to animate.[147] Also in August, regarding the pre-credit scene of Groot dancing, Gunn stated that he himself danced to provide motion reference for the animators, and that the decision was made to place the scene before the credits, rather than during or after them, because of positive responses from a test audience, which made Marvel and Gunn feel that they did not want "people walking out and missing this thing".[148] Marvel used design firm Sarofsky once again for the film's title sequences, after liking their work for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Sarofsky developed a custom typeface based on the font used in the teaser posters for the opening credits, which was tinted orange to offer a better contrast to the film's blue and grey imagery. One of the typography solutions offered before the final product wound up being repurposed as the locator cards seen throughout the film.[149]

text: Visual effects[edit]

text: The film featured 2,750 visual effects shots,[151] which make up approximately 90% of the film.[150] The visual effects were created by: Moving Picture Company (MPC), who worked on creating Groot, as well as Morag, Xandar, the Dark Aster and the final battle on Xandar;[150] Framestore, who worked on creating Rocket, extending the Kyln prison set and constructing Knowhere;[150][152] Luma Pictures, who worked on Thanos;[150] Method Studios, who worked on creating the Orb opening and revealing its powers, as well as the holographic displays at the Nova Corps command center;[150] Lola VFX; Cantina Creative; Sony Pictures Imageworks, who worked on Howard the Duck and creating the Dark Aster shots with MPC;[147][150] CoSA VFX; Secret Lab; Rise Visual Effects Studios; and Technicolor VFX.[153][154] Pre- and post-visualizations were done by Proof and The Third Floor, with Proof also contributing to the creation of Rocket and Groot.[150]

text: Producer Nik Korda noted how helpful it was to have Sean Gunn and Krystian Godlewski portray Rocket and Groot on set, as it provided references for lighting and on-set performances to the animators.[31] When creating Groot, MPC realized early on that his eyes would be essential in maintaining the character's human qualities, as his face couldn't move in the way that humans' do. MPC visual effects supervisor Nicolas Aithadi explained that, "When you look at humans what makes the eyes interesting is the imperfections—trying to make these two irises not aimed at the same place—trying to make them strange and look more human."[150] Textures for Groot came from a number of sources, including inspiration from a botanical garden in London, and the character was modeled as individual branches, rigged individually, to simulate a muscle system for the character.[150]

text: One of the major challenges for Framestore in creating Rocket was his fur. Framestore's Rachel Williams explained that, since "raccoon fur is made up from a layer of short fine hair and a layer of longer thicker hairs", these layers were separated and animated individually, removing the need to use "guide hairs" to control the movements of thick sections of fur.[150] Framestore and MPC worked closely sharing assets, to ensure shots of Rocket at MPC would match the Rocket created by Framestore, and vice versa for when Groot was needed by the other studio.[150]

text: In order to give Thanos "the performance and the weight that he deserved", Luma Pictures created a new facial animation system to re-create Josh Brolin as a fully CG character, using his "eyes, some of his cheek, how his muscles move when he talks". The character's large jaw, and the deep groves that run down his face, had "to be carefully planned out with the movement of his face."[150]

text: Music[edit]

text: In August 2013, Gunn revealed that Tyler Bates would be composing the film's score. Gunn stated that Bates would write some of the score first so that he can film to the music, as opposed to scoring to the film.[155] In February 2014, Gunn revealed that the film would incorporate songs from the 1960s and 1970s, such as "Hooked on a Feeling", on a mixtape in Quill's Walkman, which acts as a way for him to stay connected to the Earth, home, and family he lost.[156] In May 2014, Gunn added that using the songs from the '60s and '70s were "cultural reference points", saying, "It’s striking the balance throughout the whole movie, through something that is very unique, but also something that is easily accessible to people at the same time. The music and the Earth stuff is one of those touchstones that we have to remind us that, yeah, [Quill] is a real person from planet Earth who’s just like you and me. Except that he’s in this big outer space adventure."[143]

text: When choosing the songs, Gunn revealed he "started the process by reading the Billboard charts for all of the top hits of the '70s", downloading "a few hundred" songs that were "semi-familiar—ones you recognize but might not be able to name off the top of your head" and creating a playlist for all the songs that would fit the film tonally. He added that he "would listen to the playlist on my speakers around the house—sometimes I would be inspired to create a scene around a song, and other times I had a scene that needed music and I would listen through the playlist, visualizing various songs, figuring out which would work the best."[157] Most of the songs were played on set to help "the actors and the camera operators find the perfect groove for the shot", with David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" the only song chosen and added during post-production. Gunn also said that the opening scenes were designed with "Hooked on a Feeling" in mind; however, once Gunn discovered "Come and Get Your Love", the song used in the sequence, Gunn felt it was a "better fit."[157]

text: Three albums were released by Hollywood Records on July 29, 2014: The film's score, Guardians of the Galaxy (Original Score), which features the music composed by Bates for the film;[158] Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), which comprises the twelve songs from Quill's mixtape; and a deluxe edition featuring both albums.[159] By August 2014, the album which mirrored Quill's mixtape had reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first soundtrack album in history consisting entirely of previously released songs to top the chart.[160] Hollywood Records also released a cassette version of the Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack on November 28, 2014, as an exclusive to Record Store Day participants. The cassette, which is the first cassette Disney Music Group has released since 2003, comes with a digital download version of the album.[161]

text: Release[edit]

text: The world premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy was held on July 21, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.[162][163] The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2014,[143] and in the United States on August 1,[93] in 3D and IMAX 3D.[113][164] The film was released in 4,080 theaters in the United States, making it the widest August release, breaking the five-year record held by G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (4,007 theatres). The breakdown of venues was: 354 IMAX screens, 3,200 3D screens, 350 large format screens and 240 D-Box screens.[165] In its sixth weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy was playing in 69 territories, its most.[166]

text: In June 2014, Gunn stated that the film had always been planned as a 3D film, and "Unlike many directors, I've been actively involved with converting every shot to 3D, making sure it works perfectly for the story and the film, making sure it's spectacular and immersive without being silly, distracting, or overly showy." Gunn also revealed that the IMAX 3D version would include shifting aspect ratios, to make the viewing experience "even fuller and more encompassing. I've personally chosen all the places where the changes occur … The changing aspect ratios in this case are actually a part of the storytelling."[167] In July 2014, Gunn revealed that there were multiple scenes he had cut from the film, and he was investigating how to release them, either in an extended cut of the film, or as bonus features on the film's home media release.[66]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: At Disney's D23 Expo in August 2013, Feige presented footage first revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2013.[168] The first trailer for the film debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 18, 2014, with a special introduction by Chris Pratt.[10] The Los Angeles Times said the trailer delivered "some spirited alien action, with exploding spaceships and muscled bad guys, not to mention a few purely comedic moments," while spotlighting "a number of the offbeat characters."[169] Total Film noted the similarity of the trailer's opening clip to the 1981 film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which Gunn stated was a big influence for Guardians,[170] and made note of the "edgy" humor used throughout.[171] Total Film also noted the similarity of the trailer to the one debuted at Comic-Con and D23, with a few new shots featuring Nebula and the Collector.[172][173] Social media response to the trailer was strong, with 88,000 mentions across Twitter, Facebook and various blogs in a 12-hour period. Those numbers were comparable to trailers for other superhero films like Man of Steel and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and noteworthy for the late night-time period in which it premiered.[174] The trailer received 22.8 million views in the 24 hours after it debuted.[175] After the debut of the trailer, Blue Swede's version of "Hooked on a Feeling", which was prominently used throughout the trailer, went up 700% in sales the following day.[176] The line from Serafinowicz's character, "What a bunch of a-holes", was only intended to be featured in the trailers, but due to its positive reception, was included in the final cut of the film.[177] Gunn noted that a different teaser was almost released "that was very cheesy [and] sold the movie as something different than what it was", as it tested better than the version that was ultimately released. Gunn credited the marketing teams at Marvel and Disney for having faith in the latter version, despite how it tested, over choosing the version that would have mis-marketed the film.[178]

text: In March 2014, the Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "T.A.H.I.T.I." introduced the Kree race to the MCU, which began a storyline that recurs throughout the series and involves finding a hidden Kree city.[179][180] Also in March, ABC aired a one-hour television special titled, Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe, which included a sneak peek of Guardians of the Galaxy.[181] Starting in April 2014, a two-part comic was released, titled Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Prelude. Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, with art by Wellington Alves, the first issue focused on the background of Nebula and her bond with Thanos; the second issue featured the adventures of Rocket and Groot before they join forces with the other Guardians.[182] In June 2014, Mike Pasciullo, senior VP of Marvel Studios, described the marketing approach for Guardians of the Galaxy by saying that Marvel had "built a robust marketing program for the theatrical release that carefully integrates traditional advertising, social media, digital marketing, strategic promotional partnerships, organic entertainment integrations [and] publicity."[183]

text: In July 2014, Marvel launched a viral marketing campaign for the film called "Galaxy Getaways", a fictional travel website that allows users to book passage to some of the planets depicted in the film, including Xandar, Morag, and Knowhere.[184] Beginning July 4, 2014, a sneak peek of the film was presented at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Magic Eye and ABC Sound Studio theaters, respectively.[185] Approximately 14 minutes of the film was screened on July 7, 2014, in IMAX 3D in the United States, and 3D theaters and IMAX 3D in Canada, along with two trailers.[186][187] The screening was met with positive reviews, praising the humor, the 3D and IMAX conversion, and Cooper's portrayal of Rocket.[187][188][189][190] However, it was criticized for beginning partway through the film, not allowing viewers to easily acclimate to the film's tone,[188][191] and for how the general audience might respond to a film within the MCU without established characters making appearances.[191]

text: On July 12, 2014, Gunn and the actors from the film promoted Guardians of the Galaxy at the Lido 8 Cineplex in Singapore.[192] On July 17, 2014, Disney Interactive released an action RPG video game titled Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon for iOS, Android and Windows devices.[193] The game's original story was written by Dan Abnett, and was meant to complement the film.[194] On July 21, Pratt, Saldana, Bautista, Diesel and Cooper appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the film and debut some additional exclusive content.[163] On July 29, Pratt and Saldana rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange as part of the film's marketing strategy.[195]

text: On August 14, Marvel released the scene of Groot dancing,[196] which was shortly followed by an announcement from Funko that they were releasing a toy "Dancing Groot". The Hollywood Reporter noted that the quick release of the scene from Marvel two weeks after the film's theatrical release, along with the rush announcement from Funko, indicated the popularity of both the character and the scene.[197] The scene also produced the word "grooting", coined by Michael Rooker, in which a person dances similar to Groot, with the word entering the social media lexicon.[198] Also in August, Marvel held a special screening of the film at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where Pratt dressed as Star-Lord to entertain the patients.[199]

text: Merchandise[edit]

text: In June 2012, Marvel filed eleven trademark applications for Guardians of the Galaxy, covering a variety of consumer products, from video games to cosmetics.[200] Disney Consumer Products partnered with Mad Engine, C-Life, New Era, Hasbro, Disguise, Rubies, Sideshow Collectibles, Lego, KIDdesigns, iHome, Funko, Freeze, Fast Forward, and Innovative Designs to produce merchandise for the film, with releases starting in June 2014.[183][201][202][203] Mad Engine and C-Life were partnered as the core apparel outfitters, producing a line of T-shirts and fleece jackets, while New Era produced headwear and hats.[201] Hasbro produced toys for the film; Disguise and Rubies produced the costumes; and Sideshow Collectibles was given charge of the collectibles.[183][201] Lego announced three toy sets based on scenes from the film,[202] while iHome created character speakers, Funko made vinyl bobbleheads, Freeze crafted 1980s-inspired apparel, and backpacks and stationery were made by Fast Forward and Innovative Designs.[183] Despite first films in a potential new franchise usually being off-limits to licensees, Marvel used Iron Man's success as evidence of unknown characters becoming hits with audiences to attract partnerships. Licensees embraced Rocket as the film's potential breakout character, with Drax and Gamora being used for older demographics; Star-Lord's obsession with 1980s nostalgia, including his "Awesome Mix Vo. 1" cassette, has also served as a basis for tie-in products.[183] In August 2014, Funko announced a toy based on "Dancing Groot",[197] while in October 2014, Marvel and KID designs announced a replica of dancing Groot, for release in December 2014.[204]

text: In December 2014, Disney made a second marketing push, to coincide with the film's home media release with additional merchandise. Merchandise partners included: KID designs with its replica dancing Groot; Funko's Fabrikations line with a plush Rocket; Mattel’s Hot Wheels character cars; C-Life, Hybrid-Jem Sportswear, Freeze, MZ Berger, Accutime, AME and Her Universe with apparel; ThinkGeek with jewelry and watches; American Greetings with cards; Jay Franco with homegoods; and Vandor with drinkware. Additional partners included Mad Engine, Just Play, and Dragon Models. Paul Gitter, senior vice-president of Marvel licensing at Disney Consumer Products said, "The demand for Guardians of the Galaxy merchandise has been truly out of this world. Our merchandising and retail partners are doing a tremendous job of providing creative and innovative ways for fans to continue interacting with these popular characters and showcase their fandom year round."[205]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy was released for digital download by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on November 18, 2014 and on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD on November 24, 2014, in the United Kingdom and on December 9 in the United States.[206][207] The digital and Blu-ray releases include behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and an exclusive preview of Avengers: Age of Ultron.[207] As of  October 4, 2015[update], the film has earned over $118 million in sales in the US.[208]

text: The film was also included in the 13-disc box set, titled "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection", which includes all of the Phase Two films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was released on December 8, 2015.[209]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy earned $333.2 million in North America and an estimated $440.2 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $773.3 million.[3] The film became the third-highest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, behind The Avengers and Iron Man 3.[210] It was the third-highest-grossing 2014 film (behind Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) and the highest-grossing superhero film of 2014.[2][211] It had a worldwide opening weekend of $160.7 million.[212] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit for the film to be $204.2 million, when factoring together "production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs, with box office grosses, and ancillary revenues from VOD to DVD and TV," placing it fifth on their list of 2014's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[213]

text: North America[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy earned $11.2 million on its Thursday night pre-opening, surpassing Captain America: The Winter Soldier's gross ($10.2 million) for the biggest Thursday evening start for a movie in 2014.[214] IMAX accounted for 17% of the total gross ($1.9 million), which was the biggest August pre-release in IMAX format.[165] On its opening day, the film earned $37.8 million, including the Thursday night earnings.[215] Guardians of the Galaxy was the number one movie during its opening weekend and grossed $94.3 million, setting an August weekend record.[216] During the opening weekend, IMAX earnings amounted to $11.7 million and 3-D showings accounted for 45% of ticket sales. The film's success was partially attributed to its appeal to both genders: the opening-weekend audience was 44% female, which is the biggest proportion ever for a MCU film; 55% of the opening-weekend audience was over the age of 25.[216]

text: Although the film fell to second place in its second and third weekends, behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,[217][218] the film was number one in its fourth, fifth, and sixth weekend.[219][220][221] By doing so, it became the first film in 2014 to top the domestic box office in non-consecutive weeks,[219] the first film of the summer (May–August) to be the number one film in three weekends[222] and the first MCU film to be the top film for four weeks, surpassing Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers, both of which were number one for three weeks, and tied The Dark Knight for the most weeks at number one among comic book-based films.[223] Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst of BoxOffice.com felt Guardians success was "unconventional" and was "shattering expectations".[220] The film remained in the top 10 for ten weekends.[224]

text: The film was the top-grossing film of summer 2014 (ahead of Transformers: Age of Extinction),[225][226] first of 2014 to pass $300 million for its domestic gross,[227] and was the third-highest-grossing domestic film of 2014 (behind American Sniper and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1).[228] The film was said to have "injected life" into an otherwise lower-than-normal summer box office.[220][226][229]

text: Outside North America[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy was released in 42 international markets and grossed $66.4 million on its opening weekend. The biggest debuts came from Russia ($13 million), the United Kingdom ($10.8 million), Mexico ($6.5 million), Brazil ($6.5 million), and South Korea ($4.7 million).[212] The film topped the weekend box office two times, in its first and second weekends.[212][230] In its eleventh weekend, the film opened in China, earning $29.8 million, its largest, and became the third-highest opening in the country for any Disney release, behind Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and was an all-time industry record opening in October.[231] The following weekend saw an additional $21.3 million from China, making China the highest-grossing market with $69 million.[210] The film's three biggest markets in total earnings were: China ($96.5 million), the UK ($47.4 million), and Russia ($37.5 million).[232]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10 based on 299 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Guardians of the Galaxy is just as irreverent as fans of the frequently zany Marvel comic would expect—as well as funny, thrilling, full of heart, and packed with visual splendor."[233] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 76 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[234] CinemaScore audiences gave Guardians of the Galaxy an "A" grade rating on an A+ to F scale,[235] while earning an "A+" among under-18 and 25- to 34-year-old viewers.[236]

text: Scott Foundas of Variety said "James Gunn's presumptive franchise-starter is overlong, overstuffed and sometimes too eager to please, but the cheeky comic tone keeps things buoyant—as does Chris Pratt's winning performance", and praised the film's look created by cinematographer Ben Davis, production designer Charles Wood, and special effects makeup designer David White.[153] Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter also praised the film's look, and felt "A well-matched ensemble rises to the challenge of launching a heroic origin film with distinctive style, abundant thrills and no shortage of humor."[237] The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin said, "A brand new summer family blockbuster this may be, but it plays by old, half-forgotten rules; trimming out the clutter and cross-referencing for snappy, streamlined, Saturday-cartoon fun".[238] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said, "Blessed with a loose, anarchic B-picture soul that encourages you to enjoy yourself even when you're not quite sure what's going on, the scruffy Guardians is irreverent in a way that can bring the first Star Wars to mind, in part because it has some of the most unconventional heroes this side of the Mos Eisley Cantina."[239] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said, "While Guardians takes you down one after another crazy narrative turn, it also pulls you into—and, for the most part, keeps you in—a fully realized other world."[240] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times said, "Guardians of the Galaxy is a late summer treat—a mostly lighthearted and self-referential comic-book movie with loads of whiz-bang action, some laugh-out-loud moments and a couple of surprisingly beautiful and touching scenes as well," calling it "a refreshing confection of entertainment."[241] Jim Starlin, creator of Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, and Thanos, said it "might be Marvel's best movie yet".[242]

text: Jake Coyle of the Associated Press was more critical of the film, calling it "terribly overstuffed and many of the jokes get drowned out by the special effects… The pervasive movie references detract from the stab at freshness, and Guardians depends all too much on the whimsy of '70s anthems for an original beat." He also felt that Close, Reilly and del Toro were underused in the film.[243] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said, "In place of wit, Guardians offers a sort of generalized willingness to be amusing, an atmosphere of high spirits that feels like lots of people pumping air into a tire that has a hole in it. Everyone is clearly working, but nothing is really happening–and yet the effort is so evident that there's an impulse to reward it."[244] Kyle Smith of the New York Post also had a negative response to the film, comparing it to Howard the Duck and Green Lantern, and criticizing the dialogue, villains, soundtrack, lack of suspense, and the characters of Quill, Rocket, and Drax.[245] The film received mixed reviews in China, where viewers complained that the film's "poor subtitle translation not only spoiled the fun of watching it, but also made it difficult to understand its humor."[246]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Year

Award / Film Festival

Category

Recipient(s)

Result

Ref(s)

2014

CinemaCon Awards

Breakthrough Performer of the Year

Chris Pratt

Won

[247]

Detroit Film Critics Society

Best Ensemble

Guardians of the Galaxy

Won

[248]

Hollywood Film Awards

Hollywood Blockbuster Award

Guardians of the Galaxy

Won

[249]

Young Hollywood Awards

Super Superhero

Chris Pratt

Nominated

[250]

2015

Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Best Action Movie

Guardians of the Galaxy

Won

[251]

Best Actor in an Action Movie

Chris Pratt

Nominated

Best Actress in an Action Movie

Zoe Saldana

Nominated

Best Makeup

David White

Won

Best Visual Effects

Stephane Ceretti

Nominated

Empire Awards

Best Female Newcomer

Karen Gillan

Won

[252]

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Guardians of the Galaxy

Nominated

Grammy Awards

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1

Nominated

[253]

Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards

Best Contemporary Hair Styling in Feature Length Motion Picture

Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou

Nominated

[254]

Best Contemporary Make-Up in Feature Length Motion Picture

Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou

Won

Best Special Make-Up Effects in Feature Length Motion Picture

David White

Won

People's Choice Awards

Favorite Movie

Guardians of the Galaxy

Nominated

[255]

Favorite Action Movie

Guardians of the Galaxy

Nominated

Favorite Action Movie Actress

Zoe Saldana

Nominated

MTV Movie Awards

Movie of the Year

Guardians of the Galaxy

Nominated

[256]

Best Male Performance

Chris Pratt

Nominated

Best On-Screen Duo

Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel

Nominated

Best Shirtless Performance

Chris Pratt

Nominated

Best Musical Moment

Chris Pratt

Nominated

Best Comedic Performance

Chris Pratt

Nominated

Best On-Screen Transformation

Zoe Saldana

Nominated

Best Hero

Chris Pratt

Nominated

Satellite Awards

Best Visual Effects

Stephane Ceretti

Nominated

[257]

Phoenix Film Critics Society

Top 10 Films of the Year

Guardians of the Galaxy

Won

[258]

Best Ensemble Acting

Guardians of the Galaxy

Nominated

Best Live Action Family Film

Guardians of the Galaxy

Nominated

Best Visual Effects

Stephane Ceretti

Nominated

Houston Film Critics Society Awards

Best Picture

Guardians of the Galaxy

Nominated

[259]

Best Poster

Guardians of the Galaxy

Nominated

Art Directors Guild Awards

Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film

Charles Wood

Won

[260]

Visual Effects Society Awards

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture

Stephane Ceretti, Susan Pickett, Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi, Paul Corbould

Nominated

[261]

Outstanding Performance of an Animated Character in a Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture

Kevin Spruce, Rachel Williams, Laurie Brugger, Mark Wilson for "Rocket"

Nominated

Writers Guild of America Awards

Best Adapted Screenplay

James Gunn and Nicole Perlman

Nominated

[262]

British Academy Film Awards

Best Special Visual Effects

Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi

Nominated

[263]

Best Makeup and Hair

Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White

Nominated

Academy Awards

Best Visual Effects

Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould

Nominated

[264]

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White

Nominated

Saturn Awards

Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture

Guardians of the Galaxy

Won

[265]

Best Director

James Gunn

Won

Best Writing

James Gunn and Nicole Perlman

Nominated

Best Actor

Chris Pratt

Won

Best Editing

Fred Raskin, Craig Wood and Hughes Winborne

Nominated

Best Production Design

Charles Wood

Nominated

Best Costume

Alexandra Byrne

Nominated

Best Make-up

David White and Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou

Won

Best Special Effects

Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould

Nominated

Hugo Awards (Science Fiction Achievement Awards)

Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)

James Gunn (director, screenplay), Nicole Perlman (screenplay)

Won

tag: table

text: Sequels[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released on May 5, 2017, again written and directed by James Gunn.[266] Pratt, Saldana, Bautista, Diesel, Cooper, Rooker, Gillan, and Sean Gunn all reprise their roles in the film,[267] and are joined by Pom Klementieff as Mantis,[5][268] Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Chris Sullivan as Taserface, and Kurt Russell as Quill's father Ego.[5][267]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3[edit]

text: In April 2017, Gunn announced he would return to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.[269] It is scheduled to be released in 2020.[270]